Slide fastener



Jfine 15, 1937. s. H. NORTON SLIDE FASTENER Filed May 4, "1935 INVENTOR.Samuel HZVorton Patented June 15, 1937 suns FAs'mNEn I Samuel 11.Norton, Meadville, Pa., assignor to Hookleca Fastener Company, acorporation of Pennsylvania Application May 4, 1935, Serial No. 19,833

8 Claims.

This invention relates to slide fasteners and particularly to improvedautomatic locking sliders for slide fasteners.

Locking sliders have been devised and are on the market, which operatewithout any attention from the user. Such locking devices usually embodya locking member pivotally mounted on the slider and a spring normallyurging the looking member around the pivot to its locked position, incombination with a pull tab connected to the locking member for liftingit out. of locking engagement. While some of these locking devices aregenerally satisfactory, difliculty has been experienced in the stickingof the locking membars, making it diihcult to' move the slider. This.

is particularly true in certain applications where the force applied tothe pull tab in starting to open the fastener almost is parallel to thefastener stringers. In that case there is no component of the pullingforce tending to lift the locking member upwardly to its unlockedposition, and thus the locking member is not disengaged.

It is one object of my invention to devise an automatic locking sliderwhich will avoid sticking in circumstances such as those describedabove.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic lockslider in which a stress on the fastener will tend to urge said lockingmember more tightly to locked position, thus avoiding any danger of thelocking member kicking out.

Other objects are to provide an automatic lock slider having theadvantages above set forth in which the entire assembly will be verystrong and rugged, in which a stronger spring may be incorporated. andwhich will have all of the parts visible during the process of assembly.The latter feature permits ready inspection of the device during andafter assembly so that poor jobs are more easily avoided.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown for purposes of illustrationone embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. In this 5drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a slide fastener equipped with my improved lockslider;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showingthe locking member in locked position;

Fig, 3 is aview similar to Fig. 2, showing the locking member inunlockedposition;

- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the locking memher detached;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the slider body' member;-

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a rear end view of the slider. 5

The slide fastener shown comprises a pair of fabric tapes 8, 9 having ontheir adjacent edges cooperating rows of fastener elements In. The formand spacing of these elements may be in accordance with any known designand will not 10 be described herein. It is suflicient to say that theyare adapted to be brought together and pro-' gressively engaged anddisengaged by movement of a slider.-. The slider shown herein comprisesa channeled body member I I, which has the form 15 of two parallel wingsl2. and I3 flanged at their sides and integrally connected by a neck llat one end. The slider body can also be of any convenient design. On theupper wing l3 of the sliderthere is formed the lug l5, which extends 20along the longitudinal center line of the slider and projects outwardlytherefrom a suitable dis.- tance. This lug preferably is elongated andterminates just short of the ends of the slider. The rear end is formedto provide a recess or 25 seat It for a sp ng I1, and above the springthe lug extends to form a pin l8. In forming the recess IS the materialof the lug is spread apart to provide wings l9, which, form abutmentsfor the downturned portion 20 of the locking mem- 30 her 2|. As shown inFig. 7,the portion 20 of the locking member has a hole 22 receiving thepin I8 and the parts may be assembled by making the end of the lockingmember in bifurcated form and bending the two sides together, asillustrat- 35 ed in Fig. 7. The spring ll must, of course, be placed inposition before this bending operation. The forward end of the lug l5has an inclined surface 23 sloping inwardly toward the slider channeland in the backwardly direction. The 40 slider body is cut away adjacentthis end of the lug to form the recess 24. The locking member 2| is ofchannel shaped cross-section, as shown in Fig. 6, and extends throughoutthe length of the lug l5, fitting over the same like a cap. The 5locking member is bent inwardly andsomewhat backwardly so as to lieparallel to the inclined surface 23 on the lug. The contacting inclinedsurfaces on the lug and locking member cooperate to urge the lockingmember inwardly as by 50 the spring ll. The extreme end of the lockingmember is shaped to provide the locking pin 25, which is adapted toengage between fastener elments inside the slider channel to lock theslider.

- It will be noted that the force which'comes against 55 the locking end25 by pressure of the fastener members when the fastener is under alateral stress, is applied so as to be substantially normal to theinclined surface 23. Thus'any tendency for the locking member to kickout is avoided and furthermore is prevented because anypressure comingon the locking member will have a component in the backwardly direction,which tends to make the locking member dig in rather than kick out.

In Fig. 2 the locking member is shown at its backward and inwardposition as when locked.

In Fig. 3, it is shown in its unlocked position,

the forward end being moved outwardly and the whole locking memberhaving shifted forwardly against the abutments l9.

g The lock is controlled automatically without attention from theoperator by means of the pull tab 26, which has the attaching claws 2'!engaged under the edges of the locking member. It will be noted that anynormal pull applied to the locking member either in the outwarddirection or on an incline, will tend to move the member forwardly andoutwardly to its unlocked position. Even when the pull is parallel tothe fastener, the locking member will be pulled to its forward positionand will automatically kick out of locking position so that the sliderwill not stick.

Wherever movement of the locking member backwardly and forwardly" isreferred to in the specification and claims the intention is to definemovement of the locking member" lengthwise with respect to the. sliderand fastener. Wherever movement of the locking member outwardly" isreferred to the intention is to designate the tilting movement of thelocking member as illustrated in Fig. 3 in the direction away from thebody of the slider.

While I have shown and described in this application, one embodimentwhich my invention may assume in practice, this embodiment is merely forthe purposes of illustration and description, and various other formsmay be devised within the scope of my invention, as set forth in theappended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a channeled body member, alocking member connected to said body member and movable longitudinallyrelative thereto, at least a. part of said locking member being movableoutwardly, means for normally urging said locking member to lockedposition, and manual means for moving said locking member longitudinallyand outwardiy to unlocked position.

2. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a channeled body member and alocking member connected to said body member and movable backwardly andforwardly relative thereto, at least a portion of said locking memberbeing movable outwardly, means for normally urging said locking memberto its backward position, means for holding said locking member inlocked position when it is in its backward position. and a lockcontrolling member for moving said locking member forwardly andoutwardly to unlocked position.

3. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a channeled body member, alocking member connected to said bodymember and movable backwardly andforwardly relatively thereto at least a portion thereof being movableoutwardly, a spring acting to hold said locking member in its backwardposition, said body member and locking member having cooperating camsurfaces to force said locking member to its inward locked position whenit is moved to its backward position, said cam surfaces permittingrelative outward movement of said locking member to unlocked positionwhen said locking member is moved to its forward position, and means formoving said locking member to its forward position.

4. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a channeled body member, alocking member, a lug connecting said locking member to said body memberin such a way that the locking member has limited backward and forwardmovement and relative outward movement on said body member and lug, aspring between the rear end of said lug and saidlocking member acting tohold said locking member in its backward position, cooperating camsurfaces on the forward end of said lug, and the channeled portion ofsaid locking member for forcing the forward end of said looking memberinwardly toward the slider body when the locking member is moved to itsrearward position, the forward end of said locking member being shapedto extend into the slider channel and engage between slide fastenermembers therein to lock the slider, and a pull tab connected to saidlocking member for operating said slider, said pull tab being engageablewith said locking member when moved forwardly to move said lockingmember to its forward position thereby permitting release of saidlocking member.

5. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a channeled body member, alocking member connected to said body member and movable backwardly andforwardly relative thereto, the forward end of the locking member beingalso movable outwardly relative to the body member, means carried by theforward end of said locking'member for locking the slider when thelocking member is in its inward position and releasing same when in itsoutward position, and means for preventing outward movement of saidlocking member when the same is in its backward position.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 and a spring acting to urge saidlocking member normally to its backward position.

'7. The combination defined in claim 5, a spring for normally holdingsaid locking member in its backward position, and a pull tab for saidslider engageable with said lug to move the same to its forward positionupon a forward movement of said pull tab.

8. A slider for slide fasteners comprising a channeled body member withparallel wings connected together at one end, a narrow lug prolectingoutwardly from and extending along the longitudinal central part of onewing, a locking member positioned over said lug and having a pin andhole connection therewith at the rear end of the slider whereby relativelongitudinal movement is permitted, the forward end of said lug beinginclined backwardly and inwardly toward said slider, and the adjacentportion of said wing being cut away toairord access to the interlorchannel of the slider, the forward end of said locking member being bentinwardly and 1 backwardly parallel to said sloping end surface of saidlocking member when the locking mem-' ber is in its backward position,and also tending to urge the forward end of said adjacent end of saidlocking member inwardly to locked position when said locking member isurged backwardly, a spring for normally urging said locking member toits backward position, and a pull tab connected to said locking memberand adapted to counteract said spring when the slider is pulledforwardly to permit said locking member to move to unlocked tion, saidcam surfaces on the forward endv 0 said his and locking member alsolimiting relative outward movement of said locking member.

' SAMUEL H. NORTON.

